West Yorkshire Police increase use of body cameras in safety push
West Yorkshire Police has agreed a contract that sees officers and staff across the county wearing the latest state of the art body worn video cameras during their duties in a drive to improve safety.
West Yorkshire Police say they are taking an essential step forward to improve the safety of their officers.
From today officers and staff across the county will wear the latest state of the art body worn video cameras during their duties.
Following a recent pilot of the devices in the Bradford District, a phased roll out will now begin.
West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson has invested ÂŁ2 million pounds from a 'Transformation Fund' to support the project.
Assistant Chief Constable, Andy Battle is leading the work and says:
“These devices will undoubtedly play a crucial role in the future of policing and members of the public can expect to see them routinely worn as part of our daily business. Their introduction marks a sea change in the way we are able to go about our work, ensuring the most vulnerable remain safe and feel safe.
“The Force has previously taken part in a Cambridge University study into their use, which has involved various models of camera. The outcome of this research has indicated that they hold some significant and tangible benefits.
“They have the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system, further improving integrity and the corroboration of evidence by acting as an 'independent witness’.
PCC Mr Burns-Williamson added: “I have promised to put victims of crime, in particular the most vulnerable first, and the use of Body Worn Cameras provides increased support to victims and witnesses and reduces the number of victims required to attend Court.
“Their use also means increased benefits for police accountability and transparency which will lead to greater confidence in the police all round I believe.
“That is why I have made this investment in technology which can reduce crime, increase detections and make people safer and feel safer. It's another significant step forward for the police in West Yorkshire and I will look forward to seeing the results as the cameras are rolled out across the county.”
The new scheme has drawn some criticism though. Privacy group Big Brother Watch say the research is not yet conclusive that it will improve justice system. Dan Nesbitt, from the group, says: "There isn't a huge amount of evidence to back up the claims that they cut aggression towards officers."
"A recent study by Cambridge shows in many cases it has the opposite effect and actually contributes towards increasing aggression."
"We need to make sure that if the cameras are going to be used they are actually going to be effective and that police officers know exactly when they should be turing them on and that members of the public are being infored that they are being recorded."
"We also need to ensure the footage is only being held for a limited time."